From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Pessimism \Pes"si*mism\, noun [L. pessimus worst, superl. of pejor worse: cf. F. pessimisme. Cf. {Impair}.]
1. (Metaph.) The opinion or doctrine that everything in nature is ordered for or tends to the worst, or that the world is wholly evil; -- opposed to {optimism}.
2. A disposition to take the least hopeful view of things.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: the feeling that things will turn out badly [ant: {optimism}]
2: a general disposition to look on the dark side and to expect the worst in all things [ant: {optimism}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
49 Moby Thesaurus words for "pessimism": Schmerz, Slough of Despond, anxiety, apprehension, blank despondency, cliff-hanging, cynicism, death wish, defeatism, dejectedness, dejection, depression, despair, despondency, despondentness, discouragement, disheartenment, dismalness, dispiritedness, down trip, downcastness, downer, downheartedness, dread, drooping spirits, expectant waiting, gloominess, gloomy outlook, heartlessness, hopelessness, low spirits, lowness, lowness of spirit, malaise, malism, negativism, nihilism, oppression, retreatism, self-destructive urge, sinking heart, spiritlessness, suicidal despair, suspense, taedium vitae, uncertainty, uncheerfulness, waiting, weariness of life
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
PESSIMISM, noun A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile.
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